Unfortunately people with disability are not offered the same opportunities as others in our community and they regularly need to speak up, or have people to speak up for them to get a fair go. Often, families must become advocates because their family member faces rejection, discrimination or low expectations.

This workshop, led by presenters with experience in advocating for and alongside people with disability, will introduce participants to the principles and fundamentals of social advocacy. 

Topics covered will include advocacy strategies, pitfalls, how to deal with feelings of emotional vulnerability, and how to stay focused on your best interests, or those of your family member.

This workshop covers similar material to The Meaning of Advocacy workshop previously offered by CRU.

About the Presenter/s:

Jenny Smith was a founding member of Capricorn Citizen Advocacy in Rockhampton and is herself a Citizen Advocate. Jenny is Capricorn Citizen Advocacy’s delegate to the Queensland Independent Disability Advocacy Network. She is a former Director of Disability Advocacy Network Australia, and a former Deputy Chairperson of the Queensland Disability Advisory Council. She has recently worked for Queensland Advocacy for Inclusion as a Decision Support Advocate and an NDIS Appeals Advocate.

Diana Kerr is a Consultant at CRU. She is experienced in both family advocacy and systemic advocacy, through advocating for her son with disability and her role on the governance committee for the Queensland Collective for Inclusive Education (QCIE). Diana has a background in learning and development with a particular interest in leadership. She has a deep passion for inclusion and believes that diversity makes the world a richer place for us all

Who Should Attend?

This workshop is for people with disability and family members, as well as close friends and allies, who take up an unpaid advocacy role, or would like to learn where to begin. It is not suitable for workers.

Using Your NDIS Funding at CRU

For self-managing and plan-managed NDIS participants, you can see the Learning Objectives below to decide if this is a reasonable and necessary support to help you (or your family member) achieve their goals.

Learning Objectives 

By the end of this workshop you will: 

• Understand why people with disability need social advocacy.
• Recognise what to advocate for: inclusion and ‘the good life’ for people with disability.
• Know what common forms of social advocacy there are and what they mean, and understand what may be called advocacy that is not.
• Be Be able to describe the elements or principles of social advocacy and their importance.
• Look at the costs of advocacy and consider where potential conflicts of interest lie.
• Identify barriers to social advocacy and how to overcome them.
• Develop strategies to support effective advocacy.